Jacen Roberson Stats & Scouting Report

AB	369
AVG	.184
OBP	.33
SLG	.312
HR	10

Full name Jacen Lee Roberson
Born 05/23/2000 in Bakersfield, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 192 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Cal State Bakersfield
Drafted in the 16th round (468th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021 (signed for $125,000).

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The Dodgers drafted Roberson in the 24th round out of high school after he popped up late in the draft process, but he opted to stick with his commitment to Cal State Bakersfield. Roberson redshirted his freshman season in 2019 and only played in 11 games before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the 2020 season. Given his first chance to play a full season this spring, Roberson hit .282/.366/.542 and led the Roadrunners in runs (30), doubles (10), triples (three) and home runs (seven). Roberson was known as an intriguing but raw athlete in high school and is still fairly raw because he didn’t play many games in college. He is an above-average to plus runner, has a plus arm and has a chance to be an above-average to plus defender in center field with more experience. He has bat speed and average raw power, but his swing path still needs a lot of work for him to be successful against higher-level pitching. Roberson’s athleticism has teams interested toward the back of the top 10 rounds. He needs more reps than a typical college draftee and will be a slow mover.

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Draft Prospects

The Dodgers drafted Roberson in the 24th round out of high school after he popped up late in the draft process, but he opted to stick with his commitment to Cal State Bakersfield. Roberson redshirted his freshman season in 2019 and only played in 11 games before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the 2020 season. Given his first chance to play a full season this spring, Roberson hit .282/.366/.542 and led the Roadrunners in runs (30), doubles (10), triples (three) and home runs (seven). Roberson was known as an intriguing but raw athlete in high school and is still fairly raw because he didn’t play many games in college. He is an above-average to plus runner, has a plus arm and has a chance to be an above-average to plus defender in center field with more experience. He has bat speed and average raw power, but his swing path still needs a lot of work for him to be successful against higher-level pitching. Roberson’s athleticism has teams interested toward the back of the top 10 rounds. He needs more reps than a typical college draftee and will be a slow mover.
Roberson is a throwback as the rare modern three-sport athlete. He was a wide receiver on his high school football team, a guard on the basketball team and the star center fielder of the baseball team. Roberson skipped the showcase circuit because of his other sports commitments, but evaluators found him and were immediately drawn to his lefthanded bat and supreme athleticism. Roberson is a twitchy, 6-foot-1, 170 pounds with some of the best hand speed in the region. That hand speed leads to exceptional bat speed and he makes consistent contact with superb hand-eye coordination. Some scouts project him as an average hitter with average power, but others see a raw bat path that takes his swing in and out of the zone quickly and worry he'll struggle against higher-level pitching. Roberson is an above-average to plus runner who has a chance to be a plus defender in center field and he has a plus arm. Those who believe in Roberson's bat are interested as high as the third round, but others don't believe he'll hit enough to project as more than a backup outfielder. He is committed to Cal State Bakersfield.